Today is the first day of school…
Jonah was not excited for it.
This is honestly the first time since he started kindergarten that he hasn’t been excited for school.
Don’t get me wrong, Jonah has had a phenomenal school experience. He’s had great teachers and made lots of friends.
But he is nervous to go back.
Here’s why.
In 2019, when Jonah started kindergarten, he struggled to adapt to the new elementary school routine.
For a good, long while, it was not fun. Not for his teacher. Not for his paras. And not for him.
But he worked through it. Jonah slowly began to develop an appropriate school routine thanks in part to a fantastic team of educators. He established a good rapport with his teacher and developed lasting friendships.
Things were great going into the spring of 2020…
And then the pandemic hit. Everything shut down. Anxieties about EVERYTHING developed (and some still have not abated).
“Zoom” school gave way to “hybrid” learning in first grade and the ONLY way that Jonah made any progress at all was because of the tremendous rapport he had built with his teacher (who taught K-2).
He was the only student that came back for hybrid in learning in first grade so his teacher became basically a 1 on 1 for him.
And Jonah LOVED it.
By the time Jonah got to second grade with the rest of his returning class, he was a “model student.” He knew the classroom expectations so well, he would set the example for newer students and even scold his classmates who behaviorally got out of line.
To see the progress Jonah had made with this teacher DESPITE losing almost 2 years to a global pandemic, I wished he could be with her for the rest of school.
But then, third grade happened.
Jonah had a new teacher who barely had time to build a real rapport with her class before she went on maternity leave a month into the school year, and didn’t return until the spring.
They had a long-term sub who was nice enough, but didn’t KNOW Jonah and really didn’t have experience teaching kids like him. We began to see behavioral regression and new anxieties while at school, and at home.
When Jonah needed space, he was allowed to go to his old teacher’s classroom to decompress.
Every day before the final bell rang, he spent a little bit of time with his old class. He would show up with a HUGE grin on his face, ready to help walk his former classmates to the bus.
The last few minutes of school was the highlight of his day.
And then last year happened. 4th grade.
What’s the best way for me to describe 4th grade? How should I put this.
“Jonah grew up.”
Interests shifted. Jonah became acclimated to being a “big kid.” He established a good rapport with the 3-5th grade educators.
He wasn’t a kindergartener or first or second-grader.
He was a big FOURTH-grader.
And, not only that, his best friends were FIFTH-graders.
By the end of the year, Jonah no-longer visited his former teacher’s room, or walked the younger kids to the bus. He didn’t feel like he needed that connection anymore.
Matter of fact, even SEEING his old K-2 teacher became anxiety-inducing and he would immediately go in the opposite direction when he encountered her.
It wasn’t that he didn’t LIKE her anymore, it was just that his former teacher represented a phase of life that he had simply outgrown.
Which brings us to the reason Jonah is nervous about this year.
His 3-5 teacher from last year has moved on. She’s not coming back to teach this year.
His best friends are a year older, which means they are now in middle-school.
…And the replacement for his former K-2 teacher is now his current 3-5 teacher.
And THIS has induced some anxiety.
Anxiety over his friends and his teacher leaving… and anxiety about having his FORMER teacher once again his CURRENT teacher.
So all summer, Jonah has requested to simply skip 5th grade and go straight to “middle-school” and be “all done” with “[his school].”
Jonny has been doing his best to get him excited once again for school and reminding him of all the friends he STILL has at school, and all the fun he will have with his fantastic teachers.
I have no doubt that Jonah WILL have a fantastic year because he has an all-star cast supporting him in the classroom who have already worked successfully with him for several years.
I’m sure they will figure out a way to get Jonah excited for school again.
I have confidence.
I am confident in their abilities to adequately prepare Jonah for middle school and beyond.
I am confident in Jonah’s abilities to adapt to change and make the best of new and exciting experiences.
And most of all, I am confident we will have a great year.
#ausome